I don't know about you all, but I find the amount of TEFL info out there really overwhelming. Just trying to find a class has proved to be more of an effort than I had originally thought. Recently I have felt like I have just been drowning in a sea of possibilities...

Anyway, I am an American who has teaching experience (science, math, and a little English) and is interested in getting a formal TEFL certification in Greece. I would like to teach in Greece too (even though I know this may be difficult).

I am wondering if any of you out there have taken the Via Lingua Crete TEFL certification course with Maria Andreadaki? From most of my research this seems like a pretty good course, but the best judge of any course is student feedback. So if anyone out there has any feedback on the course or finding work in Greece as an American, it would be greatly appreciated and extremely helpful! I am interested in heading out at the end of August.

I expect teachers in Greece will be along shortly, but I'll add what I can here - just my two cent's worth.

I've been in Europe (am American) for 12+ years. I worked in the Czech Rep (have a Czech spouse) as a teacher trainer and teacher (I know the original Via Lingua owner). I have also worked in Luxembourg and the Netherlands on exceptional visas.

I have friends and work partners all over the Euro region - the university where I work has partners in all the Euro countries.

The laws are basically the same for all of Western Europe. A school must successfully argue to its national government that a specific non-EU teacher has something to offer in the job that no EU candidate for that job can match. In my case, because I do actually have specialist qualifications, this was successful. The problem is trying to get someone to do this for a newbie teacher. Chances are honestly near zero.

Sorry to rain on your dreams, but it's important to have realistic expectations when contemplating something as big as a move abroad.

You may also want to Schengen zone for info on the 90 days in/90 days out law that went into effect January 2009. This was the change that eliminated the old border-run option, that people used to extend their tourist visas indefinitely.

In a practical sense, what Schengen means for you is: you've got 90 days to get certified in Greece and to try to find an employer who will try to get you legal working papers. If you are not successful within the 90 days, Turkey is probably the next best option (it's not in the EU or the Schengen zone, and you are eligible for legal working papers there as an American newbie.

Very interesting...Do you know anything about the Via Lingua course in Crete or any other locations for that matter? Do you know any of their graduates? Since you are in Czech, have you heard of the ITC program? A friend of mine went through the ITC TEFL certification program in Prague in 2001 and really enjoyed it. I guess this TEFL stuff is just so overwhelming.

I do have a background in science, specifically geology. Have you ever come across international English jobs focused on teaching "science" English?

Where would you recommend starting out, besides Turkey, as a new English teacher? Would you recommend any TEFL training programs?

I'm not now in the Czech Rep, but maintain lots of contacts there.
My own original cert (1998) is from ITC. It was OK.

It is unlikely that you would quickly find a niche teaching scientific English anywhere. You might luck into some university that has such a position, but they are rare. Geology might also be a nice 'in' to oil industry students, but again, this takes local contacts to find - it's a niche market and such jobs aren't widely available or advertised.

As an American newbie teacher, you can still get work permits for the 'new' EU member countries (Czech Rep, Poland, etc) but it's a hassle for both you and a school. The job market is tight all over, and I read on the current Czech Rep forum that it's getting really tough for Americans to get jobs there these days. Just too many 'easy' Brits around wanting the jobs.

So far as certification, CELTA is the brand name, and you are safe with any CELTA provider. There are some good generic courses out there, but if you go for one of them you'll need to really check them out first.